Thereby hangs the Spider@web.

Mrs. or Mr. Spider cannot just walk in to a restaurant, order a meal of insects, settle the bill with tips and go home.

He or she has to find the food all by own efforts. Robert Bruce can vouch for this as he had spent considerable time watching spiders, while he was, in retreat , planning a counter attack.

The spider hail from Arachnids lineage and belong to Araneae clan. This clan has further genetic lines (tribes) such as Tarantula, Raft spider, Orb spider, Huntsman and house spider – a colourful lot!

This tribe has certain special traits. They are octopedes and walk on eight legs; feel with a pair of antennae like sensory organ called “pedipalp”.

Have normal eyes unlike, the compound lenses of, flies which they might catch for a meal. For grappling the prey, they have pincer like appendages called chelicerae.

To carry on with their trade of spinning, nature has endowed them with certain special devices, attitudes and skills. The creator has given them a never say attitude and they keep on trying till goals are achieved. A web to trap & catch insects!

The spider has a gland to secrete a polymerisable material and pair spinnerets to produce the silk threads. Polymer engineering and   textile technology, working in perfect harmony!

The spider is a craftsman par excellence in producing the finest of fibres! It employs tailspin and yoga techniques (sirsasana and padaasan), because the spinnerets are located at the tail end of the body.

They exhibit a hang glider’s skill and a trapeze artist’s timings to anchor the foundation pylons for the “web”. How and why they select the site for the construction is known best only to them.

Armed with natural instincts and working with single minded devotion, the Spider starts to weave the web. If the Spider has to approach for a building permit, any “..UDA” (Urban Development Authority) in the land will be amazed and pleased to grant it without batting an eyelid. Here is why?  The floor space index is high, very high!

Mostly the web constructed resembles an irregular polygonal structure- inset with webbed circles/involutes, filled with empty spaces – like a chicken mesh or fishing net. At the centre of the web, a royal seat is also provisioned. An exhibition of the finest art, of spin drying.

Then the spider ascends the throne, surveys, broods and patiently waits for the food coming in uninvited. The arrival of an insect sends vibrations through the web - bush or web telegraph! The spider rushes in from some corner of the web, cuttings short its contemplation or meditation.

This is his or her arena and we the spectators can take the seats in the Greek amphitheatre. In this arena the condemned is the unwary insect and the role of the lion, out to kill, is that of the spider.

The trapped insect tries to wriggle out unsuccessfully, causing more and more vibration on the web. Probably the spider likes to gobble up an insect with a fighting spirit!.

Ever slowly, the spider approaches the victim, quarters it and grapples it. The insect puts up renewed struggles which only serve to get the death screws tightened. The throes diminish and stop. An insect has breathed its last and a spider has had its meal.

The satiated spider wire-walks to another favourite corner to wait or engage in web repairing which gives it a chance to view the world doing sirsasana. A healthy practice indeed!

The female spider keeps the social order in check. Any male spider, advancing too close for comfort, is dealt with promptly – with a dose of poison, a la kangaroo court.

Watching them in some of their actions, we can’t brush away this dilemma - whether to pity the mauled insect or to marvel at the spider?

One of the species of Spider – the Tarantula enjoys a stellar honour. It has a nebula named after it. If it comes to know of this, it might feel on top of its web. But for a brief time only, as Crab, Cat, Ant, Swan and Horse also compete with the spider for this heavenly honour.

For all this stellar recognition, it suffers natural calamities due to rain and storm. Even when being rendered homeless, it tenaciously hangs on to the last thread of the web with hope of survival. If unsuccessful, starts rebuilding again, hoping that the departed soul of Robert Bruce will be near by to give company!

Is there any competition for the Spider?

Yes, the weaver bird and the honey Bee. The former gathers natural material and the later secrets the wax biologically.